Lessons from Coraline
My daughter has been dying to see the new movie
Coraline. Yes, this is not a typo, it is Coraline not Caroline. She read the book and just loved it and couldn't wait until the book was made into a movie. The story revolves around the main character Coraline who is an only child. Coraline moves away from her home and friends to a town that she does not like. Coraline constantly seeks the attention from her parents who are two self absorbed people who earn their living online. She feels lonely and isolated.
I was dreading the movie because I was expecting a silly animated movie with farfetched story lines. We went to the movie over the weekend and I was pleasantly surprised. Coraline desperate for the attention of her parents is thrust into an alternate universe. In this alternate universe, Coraline's parents shower her with attention and cater to her every desire. Coraline isn't sure what to think. Who are these people? These are Coraline's "other parents," who can offer her the things that are missing from her real home. Coraline has a choice to make between her real parents and her parents in an alternate universe.
I don't want to give away too much of the movie's secrets but Coraline has a choice to make. The bottom line is that there is a price to pay for all of this love and attention showered on Coraline by her parents from an alternate universe. Should she give up her self absorbed parents who don't have time for her? Should she remain in this alternate environment where you get everything you want? We all have to make choices that affect our lives.
There was one scene in the movie that really got my attention. Coraline enters the kitchen to talk to her mother. Her mother is an online writer and never looks up to address Coraline. She shrooks her off for more important things. This immediately struck a chord in me. I thought, oh my God, this is me interacting with my daughter. My husband was thinking the same thing and gave me a nudge. He said, "Who does this remind you of?"
This made me think about how my kids perceive me. Would they rather have a "mother from an alternate universe?" I was afraid to find out but my kids let me know that I was a lot like Coraline's mother. Although this movie is marketed to kids, it has plenty of lessons for adults. I learned that my kids don't like it when I choose my own alternate universe (online teaching) over them. I don't want my kids to grow up thinking that my work is more important than them. It is up to me to find a balance between work and spending quality time with the most important people in my life.